U-M Africa Conference

Africa Week will bring together thought leaders in higher education, industry, and government for a series of discussions on the key issues and opportunities that will shape Africa in the coming decades.

Conference Program
February 15-17, 2021
Co-Located Workshops
February 18-19, 2021

February 15, 2021
ECONOMICS AND HEALTH

February 16, 2021
TECHNOLOGY

February 17, 2021
HIGHER EDUCATION & HERITAGE

Opener
8:30-8:40am EST
3:30-3:40pm CAT

Fireside Chat
8:40-9:20am EST
3:40-4:20pm CAT

February 15, 2021

Opener: Mark Schlissel (U-M President)

Fireside Chat: Susan Collins (U-M Provost) and Vera Songwe (Executive Secretary, UNECA) in conversation

February 16, 2021

Opener: Valeria Bertacco (U-M Vice Provost)

Fireside Chat: Alec Gallimore (Dean, U-M College of Engineering) and Patrick Awuah (President, Ashesi University, Ghana)

February 17, 2021

Opener: Andries Coetzee
(Director, U-M African Studies Center)

Fireside Chat: Joseph Kolars (Associate Dean for U-M Medical School) and Lia Tadesse (Minister of Health, Ethiopia) in conversation

9:20-9:30am EST
4:20-4:30pm CAT

Break

Early Panel
9:30-10:45am EST
4:30-5:45pm CAT

February 15, 2021

Fintech in the African Context

Moderator: Adrienne Harris (Professor of Practice, Ford School of Public Policy)

Panelists: Viola Llewellyn, Nick Hughes, Njuguna Ndung’u, Kunle Olukotun

February 16, 2021

The Role of Computing in Africa’s Economic Future

Moderator: Valeria Bertacco (U-M Vice Provost)

Panelists: Rediet Abebe, Fitsum Andargie, Demba Ba, Jelani Nelson

February 17, 2021

Africa-US Exchanges: Lessons and Successful Models

Moderator: Andries Coetzee (Director, U-M African Studies Center)

Panelists: Ashley Collier, Henrike Florusbosch, Moses Osiru, Rocky Oteng

10:45-11am EST
5:45-6:00pm CAT

Break

Late Panel
11:00-12:15pm EST
6:00-7:15pm CAT

February 15, 2021

Leveraging Food Security to Improve Population Health in Sub Saharan Africa

Moderator: F DuBois Bowman (U-M Dean of Public Health)

Panelists: Christine Chege, Adwoa Coleman, Andy Jones, Ferew Lemma

February 16, 2021

The Future of Transportation in Africa: Evolutionary or Revolutionary
Jerry Lynch

Moderator: Jerome Lynch (Professor and Donald Malloure Department Chair)

Panelists: Edward T. Hightower, Titus Kimbowa, Henry Liu, Dhiren Vanmali

February 17, 2021

Reclaiming and Repatriating African Heritage
Susan Page

Moderator: Susan D. Page (Ford School of Public Policy, former US Ambassador to South Sudan)

Panelists: Kelly Askew, Paul Conway, Derek Peterson, Ciraj Rassool, Chao Tayiana Maina

Closing
12:15-12:20pm EST
7:15-7:20pm CAT

February 15, 2021

Matthew Countryman (Chair, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies)

February 16, 2021

Laura Beny (Associate Director, U-M African Studies Center)

February 17, 2021

Mary Gallagher (Director, U-M International Institute)

February 18, 2021
CO-LOCATED EVENTS

8:00-9:20am EST
3:00-4:40pm CAT

African/US STEM collaborations: The importance of networks
Panelists will explore the importance of networks in developing successful Africa/US collaborations in STEM fields, discussing successful examples in Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and elsewhere on the continent.

Moderator: Anne Petersen (Research Professor, College of Engineering, University of Michigan)

Panelists:
• Brian Arbic (Earth and Environmental Sciences, U-M)
• Aline Cotel (College of Engineering, U-M)
• Charles Ichoku (Howard University)
• George Philander (Princeton University and University of Cape Town professor emeritus)
• Lailah Gifty Akita (University of Ghana, Bsc., M.Phil, PhD (Germany))

9:30-10:00am EST
4:30-5:00pm CAT

Break

10:00-11:00am EST
5:00-6:00pm CAT

Distributing the COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration
Dr. Tadaktata Yamada will moderate a discussion around the challenges of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Africa, the resulting impacts on public health, and the opportunities for the global community to work in greater coordination.

Moderator: Tadataka Yamada (venture partner of Frazier Healthcare)

Panelists:
• Paul Farmer (Professor, Harvard Medical School & Co-founder of Partners in Health)
• Agnes Binagwaho (MD, M(Ped), PHD)

11:00-12:20pm EST
6:00-7:20pm CAT

The Business of Healthcare in Africa
Paul Clyde will moderate this discussion on the challenges and opportunities in the Sub-Saharan healthcare sector for local companies and multinationals.

Moderator: Paul Clyde (President, U-M William Davidson Institute)

Panelists:
• Brook Fekadu (Founder and CEO, Pioneer Diagnostics Center)
• Chemu Lang'at (Regional Head - Africa, Medtronic)
• Vinesh Pramlall (Head of New Business Development, Labotec)
• Willem Grobler (Commercial Director, ConvaTec)

February 19, 2021
CO-LOCATED EVENTS

8:00-9:20am EST
3:00-4:40pm CAT

War Dramas in Cross Cultural Contexts: Ethiopia, DRC and USA
This panel explores cross-cultural theater as social and political action, using as case study the staging of the Pulitzer Prize winning play “Ruined” in Ethiopia (in Amharic translation) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The panel will also include screening of a short documentary about the staging of "Ruined" in Ethiopia.

Moderator: Anita Gonzalez (Associate Dean, School of Music, Theatre and Dance, University of Michigan)

Panelists:
• Zerihun Birehanu (Addis Ababa University, UMAPS alum)
• Manyazewal Endashaw (Director of Ethiopian National Theater)
• Mbala Nkanga (School of Music, Theatre and Dance, U-M)

9:20-9:30am EST
4:20-4:30pm CAT

Break

9:30-10:50am EST
4:30-5:50pm CAT

Data Science for Better Health in Africa
This panel will explore the opportunities and challenges for data science to advance health in Africa, focusing on health care and on social and environmental determinants of health. Panelists will include data science experts from African universities and the University of Michigan.

Moderators: John Ayanian (Director, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation) and Massy Mutumba (School of Nursing)

Panelists:
• Amina Abubakar Aly (Director, Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, Kenya)
• Girma Taye Aweke (College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University)
• Akbar Waljee (Medical School, U-M)
• Pam Jagger (School for Environment and Sustainability, U-M)

10:50-11:00am EST
5:50-6:00pm CAT

Break

11:00-12:20pm EST
6:00-7:20pm CAT

Covid-19: Countering Disinformation
This panel, organized by the African Students Association, the African Graduate Students Association, and the Africa Business Club, features U-M students along with their peers from African universities. The panel explores the impact and mechanisms of misinformation about COVID-19 in African communities, focusing on opportunities to counter disinformation.

Moderators: Desnor Chigumba (PhD Candidate in Chemical Biology, President of African Graduate Student Association and co-host of Taking Into Account podcast) and Adaeze Eneli (PhD student in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan)

Panelists:
• Samuel Osei Afriyie - MS candidate in Information Science, University of Michigan
• Kwaku Krobea Asante - Programme Associate, Media Foundation for West Africa
• Rutendo Chabikwa - PhD candidate, Oxford University; co-host of Taking Into Account podcast
• Fortunate Chifamba - Master in Public Health, Harvard University
• Gabriel Alain Delsol - Associate at Park Advisors
• Mariame Diabate - PhD Candidate, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• John Elvis Hagan, Jr. - Senior Lecturer/Researcher at the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
• Abdullahi Tsani - science journalist based in Abuja, Nigeria
• Martin Wafula - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) student in Engineering Science, Oxford University

February 18, 2021
CO-LOCATED EVENTS

February 19, 2021
CO-LOCATED EVENTS

8:00-9:20am EST
3:00-4:20pm CAT

9:20-10:00am EST
4:20-5:00pm CAT

Break

9:20-9:30am EST
4:20-4:30pm CAT

Break

10:00-11:00am EST
5:00-6:00pm CAT

9:30-10:50am EST
4:30-5:50pm CAT

10:50-11:00am EST
5:50-6:00pm CAT

Break

11:00-12:20pm EST
6:00-7:20pm CAT

Recordings

Day 1 - Monday, February 15, 2021

Opener

Fireside Chat

Fintech in the Africa Context

Leveraging Food Security

Closing

Day 2 - Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Opener

Fireside Chat

The Role of Computing in Africa’s Economic Future

The Future of Transportation in Africa

Closing

Day 3 - Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Opener

Fireside Chat

Africa-US Exchanges: Lessons and Successful Models

Reclaiming and Repatriating African Heritage

Closing

Day 4 - Thursday, February 18, 2021

African/US STEM collaborations: The importance of networks

Distributing the COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration

The Business of Healthcare in Africa

Day 5 - Friday, February 19, 2021

War Dramas in Cross Cultural Contexts: Ethiopia, DRC and USA

Data Science for Better Health in Africa

Covid-19: Countering Disinformation

Conference Closing

Opener
8:30-8:40am EST
3:30-3:40pm CAT

Mark Schlissel is the 14th president of the University of Michigan. He joined the University of Michigan in 2014, after serving as Provost of Brown University.

He holds both M.D. and Ph.D. in Physiological Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Fireside Chat
8:40-9:20am EST
3:40-4:20pm CAT

Susan Collins is the Provost and Executive Vice President for academic affairs at the University of Michigan, as well as the Edward M. Gramlich Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, professor of economics, and former dean of the Ford School (2007-17). She is an international economist whose research interests center on understanding and fostering economic growth in industrial, emerging market, and developing countries. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT.

Vera Songwe has been the United Nations’ Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) since 2017. She is an economist and banking executive by training. She holds a Ph.D. in Mathematical Economics from the Center for Operations Research, and Econometrics and a Master of Arts in Law and Economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, as well as an MA in Political Science from the University of Michigan. She is originally from Cameroon.

The U-M African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program brings early career faculty from African universities to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Scholars are paired with a U-M faculty collaborator during their stay and have full access to the University of Michigan's resources to further their work on a research project, an academic degree, publications, grant proposal, or other relevant activity. The program supports the development of the next generation of African scholars by integrating them into international academic networks, and promotes U-M’s international commitment to research and teaching collaborations across diverse disciplines, from engineering to literature to economics.

UMAPS fellows enrich our community while also being enriched by the University of Michigan. The UMAPS program has helped retain and strengthen its faculty alumni in African institutions of higher education and empowered them to set their own research agendas in response to global challenges.

UMAPS2

"It was such a pleasure to mentor such an extraordinary young scholar. Veronica and I worked closely together in Ghana on a research project and I was immediately struck by her intellect and passion for innovative healthcare solutions. UMAPS provided her the resources, time, and mentorship needed to develop a successful National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposal and launch her research career as a nurse-scientist."
Jody Lori, Professor and Associate Dean for Global Affairs, Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences; 2017-2018 UMAPS Host

"Being a UMAPS scholar was a great experience, and having Professor Jody Lori as a mentor and working with her and her team was marvelous. I really had a life changing experience as a UMAPS scholar, and given the opportunity, I would do it all again."
Veronica Dzomeku, Senior Lecturer and Head of Nursing, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; 2017-2018 UMAPS participant

"We believe African scholars spending a semester at U-M not only will be empowered with a wealth of experience that will become a precious seed in their home universities but will also enrich all the professors and students they will have exchanges with in Ann Arbor, creating a virtuous connection that will keep growing in the future."
Giorgio Guastalla, Founder of Keywords Studios, Italicatessen, and PEQ Agri; UMAPS supporter

Opener
8:30-8:40am EST
3:30-3:40pm CAT

Valeria Bertacco is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning at the University of Michigan. Her research interests are in the area of computer system design; as director of the ADA Research Center, she leads efforts to envision and design the computing systems for the 2030 decade.

Fireside Chat
8:40-9:20am EST
3:40-4:20pm CAT

Alec Gallimore is the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dean Gallimore is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering, whose interests are in the area of advanced electric propulsion, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from Princeton.

Patrick Awuah is the founder and president of Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit institution that has quickly gained a reputation for innovation and quality education in Ghana. He holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and honorary doctorates from Swarthmore and Babson College. He has received many prestigious recognitions for his work, including being named as one of Fortune’s “World's 50 Greatest Leaders”, receiving a MacArthur Fellowship and the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) prize.

Opener
8:30-8:40am EST
3:30-3:40pm CAT

Andries Coetzee is the Director of the African Studies Center and a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan, and Extraordinary Professor at the North-West University, South Africa. His research straddles the areas of theoretical and descriptive linguistics, with a special focus on the complex linguistic landscape of post-apartheid South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts.

Fireside Chat
8:40-9:20am EST
3:40-4:20pm CAT

Joseph Kolars is a Senior Associate Dean for Education and Global Initiatives at UM’s Medical School, the Josiah Macy, Jr., Professor of Health Professions Education and a Professor of Internal Medicine. His career has focused on global health and strengthening education systems in low-resource settings. Since 2010, he has been the co-director for the Joint Institute for Translational and Clinical Research with Peking University of Health Sciences, and since 2020 the director of the new U-M Center for Global Health Equity. He holds a M.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Lia Tadesse, former U-M faculty member, is the Minister of Health of Ethiopia. She is an obstetrician and gynecologist with extensive experience in health-care leadership and hospital administration. She became the Minister of Health of Ethiopia in March 2020, a day before the country reported its first case of COVID-19 among a population of 100 million. Her steadfast and arduous leadership in the past six months has led the coordination of various sectors to flatten the curve and overcome the pandemic challenges in the country. She has also successfully worked as a CEO and Vice Provost of St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa. She earned her Doctor of Medicine at Jimma University, and specialized in obstetrics and gynecology at Addis Ababa University.

Early Panel
9:30-10:45am EST
4:30-5:45pm CAT

Fintech in the African context
Adrienne Harris (Professor of Practice, Ford School of Public Policy) will moderate a discussion regarding the impressive growth of the fintech industry across the African continent and the benefits as well as challenges for economies, governance, and society. Participants will include thought leaders from industry, government, and higher education.

Moderator: Adrienne Harris is a professor of practice at the Ford School, with support from the Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence program. The former chief business development officer and general counsel at States Title, Inc., she brings deep experience in financial reform, financial technology, cybersecurity, consumer protection, and housing finance reform. She previously served as special assistant for economic policy to President Obama at the White House National Economic Council, focusing on issues including financial reform, financial technology, and housing finance reform. Harris also served as senior advisor to the Deputy Secretary in the U.S. Department of Treasury, and represented financial institutions and other corporations as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Financial Health Network and of Homie, a prop-tech company. She is an advisor to several fintech and prop-tech companies. Harris earned her JD from Columbia Law School, her MBA with specializations in economics and management from New York University, and her BA from Georgetown University.

Panelists:
Viola Llewellyn, Co-Founder & President of Ovamba Solutions, Inc.

Nick Hughes, Founder, M-PESA and CO-founder, M-KOPA

Njuguna Ndung'u, Former Governor, Central Bank of Kenya

Kunle Olukotun, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, co-founder of Migo

Early Panel
9:30-10:45am EST
4:30-5:45pm CAT

The Role of Computing in Africa’s Economic Future
Computing has served as a conduit for wealth and prosperity for many countries over the past half a century. How can Africa leverage the opportunities and versatility computing offers to leap ahead in the coming years? Vice Provost Valeria Bertacco will lead a discussion addressing potential opportunities and challenges.

Moderator: Valeria Bertacco is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning at the University of Michigan. Her research interests are in the area of computer system design. As director of the ADA Research Center, she leads efforts to envision and design the computing systems for the 2040 decade.

Panelists:
Rediet Abebe, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, UC Berkeley and Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. Rediet is a co-founder of Black in AI, a network of 1,500 researchers working in the artificial intelligence domain.

Fitsum Andargie, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Addis Ababa University, and Adjunct Research Scientist, University of Michigan. Fitsum is a U-M African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) alumnus. Co-founder of the African Undergraduate Research Adventure (AURA) program at the University of Michigan.

Demba Ba, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering, Harvard University, and Sloan Foundation Fellow. Creator of cloudJHub, an accessible and extremely low-cost Amazon-cloud sandbox environment for data science computation and learning.

Jelani Nelson, Professor of Computer Science, UC Berkeley. Founder of AddisCoder, a computer science summer program for Ethiopian high school students in Addis Ababa and other Ethiopian cities.

Early Panel
9:30-10:45am EST
4:30-5:45pm CAT

Africa-US Exchanges: Lessons and Successful Models
Professor Andries Coetzee will moderate a discussion on models for successful bidirectional exchange programs between African and US institutions of higher education.

Moderator: Andries Coetzee is the Director of the African Studies Center and a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan, and Extraordinary Professor at the North-West University, South Africa. His research straddles the areas of theoretical and descriptive linguistics, with a special focus on the complex linguistic landscape of post-apartheid South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts.

Panelists:
Ashley Collier, The Mastercard Foundation

Henrike Florusbosch, African Studies Center, University of Michigan

Moses Osiru, PASET

Rocky Oteng, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan

Late Panel
11:00am-12:15pm EST
6:00-7:15pm CAT

Leveraging Food Security to Improve Population Health in Sub Saharan Africa

F Dubois Bowman is the Dean of U-M School of Public Health. He holds a PhD in biostatistics from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His areas of study include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression, schizophrenia, and substance addiction.

Panelists:
Christine Chege, Africa Practice

Adwoa Coleman, Country Head for Ghana, Dow Chemical

Andy Jones, U-M School of Public Health

Dr. Ferew Lemma, Senior Advisor, Office of the State Minister, Ethiopia

Late Panel
11:00am-12:15pm EST
6:00-7:15pm CAT

The Future of Transportation in Africa: Evolutionary or Revolutionary
Professor Jerome Lynch will lead a discussion of markets and how manufacturers in Africa are leveraging technology to leapfrog ahead, unconstrained by legacy infrastructure.

Moderator: Jerome Lynch is a Professor and Donald Malloure Department Chair for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Michigan.

Panelists:
Edward T. Hightower, Managing Director, Motoring Ventures, and author of "Motoring Africa: Sustainable Automotive Industrialization"

Titus Kimbowa, Business Team Lead, Zembo (Zero Emission Motorcycle Boda)

Henry Liu, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dhiren Vanmali, Governmental Affairs Director - Africa (International Markets Group) and the Executive Director, Southern Africa for Ford Motor Company

Late Panel
11:00am-12:15pm EST
6:00-7:15pm CAT

Reclaiming and Repatriating African Heritage
Ambassador Susan D. Page will moderate a discussion with cultural heritage experts from U-M and Africa surrounding the reclamation and repatriation of African heritage from Northern cultural institutions back to Africa.

Moderator: Susan D. Page is a Professor of Practice in the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She was the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan and served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti, among other senior diplomatic roles. She holds a JD from Harvard Law School.

Panelists:
Kelly Askew, Professor of Anthropology and Afroamerican & African Studies, University of Michigan
Paul Conway, Professor of Information, University of Michigan
Derek Peterson, Professor of History and African Studies, University of Michigan
Ciraj Rassool, Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Western Cape, and Board Member for District 6 Museum
Chao Tayiana Maina, Co-founder, Museum of British Colonialism

Valeria Bertacco
Vice Provost University of Michigan

Andries Coetzee
Director, U-M African Studies Center

Brodie Remington
Executive Director of International Giving, Office of University Development

U-M Africa Week

February 15-19, 2021

Africa Week will bring together thought leaders in higher education, industry, and government for a series of discussions on the key issues and opportunities that will shape Africa in the coming decades.

Recordings

U-M African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS)

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Recordings

U-M African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS)

Give Now

Conference Program

Co-Located Workshops

About

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About

Submit a Question

Save on African Studies Books

Recordings

Day 1 - Monday, February 15, 2021

Day 2 - Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Day 3 - Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Day 4 - Thursday, February 18, 2021

Day 5 - Friday, February 19, 2021